[OVERVIEW]
Scyther is not by any means a good Pokemon in RBY NU, but it has one useful trait that makes it an extremely niche threat— it's faster than the tier-warping Charizard. Scyther's base 110 Attack, while not as impressive as Kingler's, is still significantly higher than Charizard's, and it can sweep after using Swords Dance against chipped-down teams. Slash also lets it deal more immediate physical damage than Charizard, letting it revenge kill physically-frail foes like Mr. Mime. That said, Scyther runs into two massive issues: its horrifically bad coverage leaves it entirely walled by Rock-types like Golem and Kabutops as well as the rare Gastly, and +2 Hyper Beam still falls short of OHKOing almost every foe. Scyther's terrible typing causes it endless woes—it is OHKOed by Golem's Rock Slide and Fire Blast from Charizard, Ninetales, and Moltres, and its weaknesses to Ice and Electric mean that most Pokemon are capable of 2HKOing it, including Mr. Mime, Clefable, Seadra, and Electrode. Even if Scyther manages to set up, it is rare for an entire team to be weakened enough for it to sweep, so it generally cannot outcompete Pokemon like Electrode and Charizard that are similarly fast but capable of contributing more. Even with Agility, Scyther still cannot sweep through paralysis since it cannot OHKO healthy Pokemon without boosting to +4. Because of this, it's generally recommended to use other Pokemon to revenge kill and sweep.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Slash
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Agility
[SET COMMENTS]
Slash lets Scyther revenge kill or weaken typical switch-ins, 2HKOing Mr. Mime 91% of the time and 3HKOing Charizard. It also weakens major threats like Clefable, Moltres, and Blastoise into potential +2 Hyper Beam range, making it difficult for them to stop a revenge kill. Swords Dance allows Scyther to set up a devastating sweep against chipped teams lacking a Rock-type. +2 Hyper Beam deals a minimum of 63% to Blastoise and 76% to Charizard; it outright OHKOes Mr. Mime and has a 54% chance to OHKO Venomoth. Agility is mostly used for lack of other options, but it can cancel out the Speed drop from paralysis; unfortunately, most foes that can paralyze Scyther are also capable of dealing massive damage to it as it sets back up. Agility does also let Scyther outspeed Electrode, so it can be used to punish a wasted turn and ensure the sweep. The only other move worth noting is Substitute, but since Substitute does not block paralysis or sleep in RBY, it rarely provides any benefit. However, sometimes it can allow Scyther to fish for full paralysis against foes lacking Thunder Wave, giving it a chance to set up.
Scyther can be used to hit-and-run by coming in to revenge kill foes like Mr. Mime, ideally forcing the opponent to preserve their Pokemon by letting a healthy ally take Slash. This often puts the switch-in into +2 Hyper Beam range, potentially letting Scyther sweep later. Scyther can look for chances to set up against foes lacking reliable paralysis moves, such as Blastoise and Seadra, but many foes pack Body Slam or can OHKO Scyther with a critical hit, making every setup opportunity tenuous. Since Scyther has no way through Rock-types, Water-types like Seadra, Kingler, and Blastoise make good teammates. This also helps against Fire-types, allowing Scyther to hit them as they enter then switch out to a resistant Pokemon. Golem can also cover Scyther's Fire weakness and prevent it from being taken out by the faster Electrode, but Golem is a tenuous check to Fire-types due to the risk of a burn. Venomoth is a useful ally to help Scyther find free turns with Sleep Powder and Stun Spore.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/togkey.400664/
Grammar checked by:
Scyther is not by any means a good Pokemon in RBY NU, but it has one useful trait that makes it an extremely niche threat— it's faster than the tier-warping Charizard. Scyther's base 110 Attack, while not as impressive as Kingler's, is still significantly higher than Charizard's, and it can sweep after using Swords Dance against chipped-down teams. Slash also lets it deal more immediate physical damage than Charizard, letting it revenge kill physically-frail foes like Mr. Mime. That said, Scyther runs into two massive issues: its horrifically bad coverage leaves it entirely walled by Rock-types like Golem and Kabutops as well as the rare Gastly, and +2 Hyper Beam still falls short of OHKOing almost every foe. Scyther's terrible typing causes it endless woes—it is OHKOed by Golem's Rock Slide and Fire Blast from Charizard, Ninetales, and Moltres, and its weaknesses to Ice and Electric mean that most Pokemon are capable of 2HKOing it, including Mr. Mime, Clefable, Seadra, and Electrode. Even if Scyther manages to set up, it is rare for an entire team to be weakened enough for it to sweep, so it generally cannot outcompete Pokemon like Electrode and Charizard that are similarly fast but capable of contributing more. Even with Agility, Scyther still cannot sweep through paralysis since it cannot OHKO healthy Pokemon without boosting to +4. Because of this, it's generally recommended to use other Pokemon to revenge kill and sweep.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Slash
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Hyper Beam
move 4: Agility
[SET COMMENTS]
Slash lets Scyther revenge kill or weaken typical switch-ins, 2HKOing Mr. Mime 91% of the time and 3HKOing Charizard. It also weakens major threats like Clefable, Moltres, and Blastoise into potential +2 Hyper Beam range, making it difficult for them to stop a revenge kill. Swords Dance allows Scyther to set up a devastating sweep against chipped teams lacking a Rock-type. +2 Hyper Beam deals a minimum of 63% to Blastoise and 76% to Charizard; it outright OHKOes Mr. Mime and has a 54% chance to OHKO Venomoth. Agility is mostly used for lack of other options, but it can cancel out the Speed drop from paralysis; unfortunately, most foes that can paralyze Scyther are also capable of dealing massive damage to it as it sets back up. Agility does also let Scyther outspeed Electrode, so it can be used to punish a wasted turn and ensure the sweep. The only other move worth noting is Substitute, but since Substitute does not block paralysis or sleep in RBY, it rarely provides any benefit. However, sometimes it can allow Scyther to fish for full paralysis against foes lacking Thunder Wave, giving it a chance to set up.
Scyther can be used to hit-and-run by coming in to revenge kill foes like Mr. Mime, ideally forcing the opponent to preserve their Pokemon by letting a healthy ally take Slash. This often puts the switch-in into +2 Hyper Beam range, potentially letting Scyther sweep later. Scyther can look for chances to set up against foes lacking reliable paralysis moves, such as Blastoise and Seadra, but many foes pack Body Slam or can OHKO Scyther with a critical hit, making every setup opportunity tenuous. Since Scyther has no way through Rock-types, Water-types like Seadra, Kingler, and Blastoise make good teammates. This also helps against Fire-types, allowing Scyther to hit them as they enter then switch out to a resistant Pokemon. Golem can also cover Scyther's Fire weakness and prevent it from being taken out by the faster Electrode, but Golem is a tenuous check to Fire-types due to the risk of a burn. Venomoth is a useful ally to help Scyther find free turns with Sleep Powder and Stun Spore.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/togkey.400664/
Grammar checked by:
Last edited:
